July 02, 2021 Advertisement In November 2020, the ASEAN Secretariat published the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) and its implementation plan, which set out broad strategies for recovery in line with sectoral and regional priorities. The ACRF can be regarded as ASEAN’s consolidated exit strategy from the COVID-19 crisis. The trade facilitation measures in the ACRF implementation plan includes the harmonization of standards for essential goods and the expansion of the ASEAN Single Window to ASEAN dialogue partners, which aim to reduce regulatory compliance costs and procedural obstacles for those trading with the region. Before the pandemic, the strong increase in production and income growth in ASEAN member states had led to an equally strong increase in both agri-food exports and imports. In 2019, ASEAN’s agri-food exports totaled $141 billion, a third of which comprised intra-ASEAN trade. Key agri-food exports include palm oil, fish products, forest products, rubbers and gums, fruits, and rice. The same year, ASEAN’s total agri-food imports came to $103 billion, which included soybean products, fish products, wheat products, dairy products, and fruits. Again, around a third of this comprised of intra-ASEAN trade.